Managing Stress: Toward Prevention and Control

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Chapter 3

• Managing Stress Toward Prevention and Control

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STRESS STRESS MANAGEMENT
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So what is STRESS anyway?

• Stress is a mental and physical response of our
  bodies to change in our lives!
• Neither positive or negative

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Stressor A physical, social or psychological
event that requires us to adjust!
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Adjustment attempt to cope with the situation!
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THE NATURE of STRESS

• The non-specific response of the body to any
  demand made upon it
• External - environment, people,situations,
• elements

• Internal mental process (worry, fear, happiness)
• Whether real or perceived or physiological
  (drugs, chemicals, etc.)

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Its not the years its the mileage!

• Strain
• wear and tear our bodies and minds sustain as we
  adjust to a stressor

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STRESS and DESTRESS

• Disturbance of the Homeostatic Balance
• Physiological Equilibrium of the body

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A Non-Specific Response

• All stressors are processed the same way
  physiologically by our bodies
• Fight or Flight Response

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THE ROLE of PERCEPTION

• How stress is perceived effects the intensity of
  the response
• Physical - nutrition, strength, endurance, immune
  system,
• Social - people, rejection, loneliness,
  arguments,
• Intellectual - burnout, overload,frustration,
  sense of self
• Spiritual - lack of meaning, moral conflicts,
  guilt

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Stress Response

• Stress can be positive or negative
• Physiological outcome the same
• Heart Rate
• Blood Pressure
• Breathing Rate
• Perspiration rate

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Freedom from Stress is Death

• We need to make the DISTICTION between the
• STRESSOR and STRESS Response

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Stress and Performance
PREPARATION
OPTIMAL PEERFORMANCE
PERFORMANCE
SOCIAL FACILITATION
STRESS
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THE JOY of STRESS

• Hanson (1986)
• optimal stress loads result in longevity and
• Peak Performances
• Activity vs. inactivity
• Intellectual Health vs. Mindless Activities
• Challenges vs. Boredom

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General Adaptation SyndromeGAS

• Phase 1 The ALARM
• Acute stress response Physiological Signs and
  Symptoms
• Adrenal Glands
• muscles / heart / circulation / respiratory rate
  / nervous system
• Fight or Flight - involuntary response to
• actual danger or perceived danger

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STRESS

• Phase 3 -Repeated or Sustained Stress
• Exhaustion results if insufficient recovery time
  is available
• Fatigue of the body
• Muscles, cognitive
• Function,organs,
• Immune system

• Phase 2 - Resistance
• Physical symptoms disappear
• Repeated and resistance increases above baseline
• Adaptation - homeostasis reduced time to recovery

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Alarm Stagebrain perceives stressor (real or
imaginary) as threat, Cerebral Cortex (evaluates
situation)consciously or unconsciously...

• Autonomic Nervous System(ANS)
• Sympathetic Nervous System
• fight or flight - released several stress
  hormones
• physiological reaction
• Parasympathetic Nervous System - return to
  homeostasis

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Stress and Homeostasis A Balance

• Sympathetic and parasympathetic
• Nervous System
• Balance out day to day
• Unless prolonged stress
• then body suffers from the excessive stress
• Burnout, chronic fatigue and illness..

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The Hypothalamus

• Control centre- directs stress response - SNS
• stimulates adrenal glands - epinephrine
  (adrenaline) heightened F or F response
• triggers PITUITARY gland - releasing
  adrenocorticoticotrophic hormone (ACTH) -
  triggers release of Cortisol - releasing stored
  energy
• endorphins released within brain
• decreases pain caused by stressors

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The Mind Body Connection Physiological Responses

• Some Physical and Emotional Interactions -
  BREAK-us down over time
• All Body systems are targets (long term exposure)
• Highly Stressed Individuals - cardiovascular
  disease, hypertension, frequent colds/viruses
• This is why we are concerned STRESS

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Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)

• .. The relationship between stress and the
  immune system
• STRESS
• levels of adrenal hormones
• White Blood Cells - natural killer T cell
• T cells chance of illness
• many factors are involved more research is
  required!

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Adaptation Energy Stores

• Mental/physical
• foundations to cope with stress
• Two Levels
• Deep - heredity/ present in each cell
• Superficial- surrounds deep stores / first
  defense and renewable
• when deep stores are gone organism dies!

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Must Replenish Adaptation Stores

• Exercise
• Relaxation
• Stress Management
• Time Management
• Health
• Nutrition
• Emotional Health
• .you get the idea !!!!!!!

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CNS PATHWAYS and STRESS

• Involuntary
• Sympathetic NS pathway
• adrenal glands
• very fast
• increased response / performance
• Conscious Voluntary
• Cerebral cortex
• perception of danger
• emotional influence
• pituitary gland stimulates adrenal glands

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Psychosocial Sources of Stress...

• Change
• The greater the change the
• greater the stress!
• Hassles
• petty annoyances, irritations frustrations..
• Pressure
• work, school, deadlines, goals..
• Inconsistent Goals and Behaviours
• conflict between goals and behaviours

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Continued Psychosocial Stressors

• Conflict
• most common / job, friends, family etc
• Overload
• excessive, time pressure, responsibility, lack of
  support, expectations
• Burnout
• physical and mental exhaustion -caused by
  overload
• Other forms of Psychosocial Stress
• injustice, racism, gender, lifestyle,
• unemployment..

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REFLEX INVOLUNTARY

• Immediate response to pain
• heat
• physical pressure

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Psychosomatic Disease

• Emotional / psychosomatic origins
• Psychogenic (emotional stress)
• structural functional disorders such as
  headaches, ulcers, asthma
• Somatogenic Psychosomatic Disorders
• when the bodys resistance is lowered
• CHD, backache, blood pressure
• A wide variety of disorders can be attributed to
  perception of stress

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Stress Related Disorders and/orDeath

• Cancer
• Intellectual Dysfunction
• Heart Disease
• Colds
• Flu
• stress fractures
• Burn out
• psychosocial disorders

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Personality Type

• Type A - stress prone
• aggressive /hostile attitudes behavior
• Type B - stress resistant
• relaxed, easy-going
• Hardy Personality - stress resistant personality
• commitment, control and challenge
• Anxious-Reactive Personality - hypersensitivity
• to stressors
• anticipate the worse - initiate stress perception

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STRESS MANAGEMENT

• Negative Stress DistressPositive Stress
  EustressStress ManagementIdentify the
  stressors, symptoms and triggers
• Awareness - Psychological Considerations in
  stress management
• Perception
• Perception, Memory, Appraisal Process, Emotion,
  Personality

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Coping Styles Vary

• Passive vs.. Active
• Denial vs.
• Thinking/problem
• solving
• Reflective vs. Impulsive

• Proactive steps to dealing with the stressor
• admitting there is a problem developing a
  solution to resolve the situation
• evaluating how you responded to a stressful
  situation
• actions / consequences

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Checklist for Coping with Stress

• ID source of stress
• physical responses
• Evaluate realistically / avoid or modify
• Select appropriate coping mechanisms
• Develop positive attitudes
• Improve resistance to stress
• Cultivate positive lifestyle habits

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COPING BEHAVIOURSthe good, the bad and the ugly

• APPROPRIATE
• physical activity
• relaxation
• seeking support
• time management
• reflection
• positive avoidance
• professional help
• stress management programs
• positive self talk

• INAPPROPRIATE
• drugs
• alcohol
• food
• smoking
• physical/verbal abuse
• negative ego defense denial, ignoring,
  suppressing, rationalization, lashing out
• self bashing

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Essential Keys

• Daily routines
• Time Management
• Relaxation
• Goal Determination, identification of barriers to
  goals
• setting priorities
• learn to say NO
• Delegate

• Break large tasks into smaller components
• Your human - cant do everything
• Develop hobbies and skills
• Do something new and different
• Develop support mechanisms

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Stress and Exercise

• Reduction of acute chronic
• muscle tension
• fight or flight mechanism reduces intense muscle
  tension
• Hormone Utilization
• Hypothalamus Controls/Regulates all hormones
• Adrenal medulla epinephrine norepinephrine
  Physical Endurance
• Cardiovascular / Muscular
• body improves resistance to stress reactions

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Endorphins, Norepinephrine,Serotonin and Dopamine

• Naturally occurring chemicals
• Sense of euphoria / wellbeing
• natural pain blockers
• Neurotransmitters located in the brain and other
  regions of the body
• antidepressants - increase energy and lift mood
• low levels of serotonin and dopamine associated
  with depression
• all released with sustained exercise

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RELAXATIONOPPOSITE of STRESS RESPONSE

• MEDITATION
• IMAGERY
• BIOFEEDBACK
• YOGA
• Tai Chi Chuan

• Hobbies and Distractions

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Benefits from Relaxation Training

• Enjoyable
• decreases stress symptoms - headache, nausea, and
  diarrhea
• increase levels of physical activity
• ability to handle problems
• improve efficiency and performance
• insomnia, depression, pain, drug abuse, fear,
  phobias and backache
• lower blood pressure
• increase resistance to stress, help prevent
  overreactions to stress.